


Hold up the Fire

by Janara



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Allies To Lovers, Denial, Developing Relationship, Getting Together, Introspection, Jealousy, Loki (Marvel) Does What He Wants, M/M, Tony Stark Has Trust Issues, Trust Issues, unreliable narrative
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:33:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23044069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Janara/pseuds/Janara
Summary: Four months after Thor brought a shipload of assorted aliens to Earth, Loki appears in Tony Stark's workshop with a proposition.Tony just thinks that weird Asgardian wizard must be crazy.
Relationships: Loki/Tony Stark
Comments: 15
Kudos: 140
Collections: Marvel





	Hold up the Fire

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Last Sentence](https://archiveofourown.org/works/539216) by [oneinspats](https://archiveofourown.org/users/oneinspats/pseuds/oneinspats). 



> This was inspired by two things: a quite eclectic assortment of songs (see endnote) and the incredibly beautiful fic The Last Sentence by oneinspats (go check it out if you know Discworld and don't mind Vimes/Vetinari - maybe even if you don't know Discworld although it might be a bit confusing then).  
> The starting point is the same (a question/a proposition) but it does not follow oneinspats' great plot. Basically, there is no plot here, this is what my gf might call a PWPWP (porn without plot without porn).  
> I'll just call it a big heap of self-indulgence. 
> 
> Timeline:  
> After Thor: Ragnarok but the Asgardians did not get intercepted by Thanos.  
> Age of Ultron has happened, Civil War hasn't.

“Mr. Stark.”  
  
His breath caught but he managed to suppress the wince. He closed his eyes and willed his heartbeat back to normal before turning around with a relaxed grin forced onto his face.  
Someone was leaning against the barely illuminated wall of his workshop. His workshop that was supposed to be empty. The figure would have been a mere silhouette of black and white against grey had it not been for the pair of glowing green eyes.  
  
“Slipped out of custody to finally kill me? Still haven’t got the strongest heart, you know.”  
  
“Kill you?” The voice was silky in the half-dark. He could not make out the expression on the face but he would bet an obsolete arch reactor that there was a smirk.  
“By no means. I come with a proposition.”  
  
"A proposition?" Tony raised an eyebrow, interested. “And what would that be?” He asked.  
So, Loki told him.  
  
He gaped. Must have. Tony Stark did, as a rule, not gape, but he probably made an exception here. He definitely did jump up from his chair.  
“You’re insane.”  
  
There was no answer, the silhouette did not even move.  
  
“No, you must be crazy. Mental. Why would I… No! - How did you even get in here?” He trailed off, thoughts bumbling about his mind. That last one was worrying, he would have to do something about that. Still, even that made more sense than…  
  
Loki took a few steps into the room and he fought the urge to tense. He would _not_ tense in his own workshop. Light fell on the even features of the self-proclaimed god and yes, there it was, the smirk.  
  
“I merely ask you to consider.”  
  
“No, I will _not_ consider.” Tony interrupted firmly. “Why would I even. Now take your bag of cats and get out of here.”  
  
For a second, the amused smile broadened then golden sparks trickled down dark leather and Loki vanished.  
  
He fell into the chair, letting the back of his skull bounce against the headrest. Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself. First things first, he would have to look into how the bastard had managed to appear in his very secure workshop.  
No, not first things, that was the only thing. Nothing else about this little visit was worth any consideration.  
  
  
*****  
  
The first time Loki had joined the Avengers in a fight had been highly embarrassing.  
  
It had not even been a full month since Thor had brought what was left of Asgard to Earth - together with a bunch of other extraterrestrials, as they were apparently to be called. Those others had left again quite soon, much to Tony’s chagrin who would have _loved_ to pick a few alien brains. In the figurative sense of the expression. Not literally. Except maybe with an MRI scanner, if they had agreed.  
  
Thor however was there to stay, asking for refuge for his people. And they really were _his_ people now.  
Tony sat in on some of the earlier meetings but was quite happy to leave all the details to Fury and whoever else wanted to have a say in what to do with about 200-something Asgardians that were looking for a new home. He readily agreed to let them stay at the Avengers Compound until the details were worked out and offered help on the technological side of things but left the politics to others.  
He had better things to busy himself with, SI for one. It was not even be a lie, he really was making an effort there, doing his best to prove to Pepper that he was serious with the whole "there is no reason our friendship and business relationship should suffer just because we called it quits on the romantic side of things".  
Most of the time he believed it too. So did she, he was quite sure about that. It was the main reason why he was convinced that they would succeed, that they could go back to where they had been before. Both had resolved to not let their friendship suffer and both were too bloody stubborn to admit defeat in something they were willing to give it all for. So far it seemed to work and he did try to be involved in his company.  
  
Still, he was more than happy to help Thor out whenever he could. There was a spaceship - an actual _spaceship_ \- it had him salivating just thinking about all the delicious tech on that thing. Not being above reaping the rewards of blatant favouritism he was doing his best to help his good buddy with getting his people settled in at the compound.  
His people included dear baby brother, who - surprise, surprise - was not actually dead. That had been a good one. Tony had been present at the first meeting Loki had attended. He had walked into the room behind Fury and had almost run into the director when he had stopped dead in the doorway.  
  
There they sat, the Asgardian king and prince, both dressed in what passed as upscale business casual, looking serious and obliging.  
The following 90 minutes were a study in how stubborn Thor could be. The result: very. Loki had apparently redeemed himself - cue a look of Fury as sceptic as Tony felt - and was to be helping the Asgardians finding and building a new home. Once that was completed and he had acted satisfactory, he would be pardoned of his crimes and free to go his merry way. Tony was pretty sure that both he and Fury shared the same thought: hopefully that merry way would not lead him towards another merry attempt at world domination.  
Fury tried to discuss and reason with Thor, to no avail. The Thunderer would not budge. It got to the point where the new King of Asgard started to make noises about looking somewhere else for a suitable place - and that was that. Tony knew Fury. Just as he himself was already dreaming about lovely new technology, the SHIELD director would never let this opportunity to improve Earth's chances against potential threats slip through his grabbing hands.  
So it was settled. Loki would stay and since the Asgardians were to live at the compound for the time being, SHIELD could keep an eye on him.  
  
Tony had glanced at the, alleged former, enemy when Fury and Thor had agreed on the terms but there had not been the slightest hint of what the prince thought of it all. There had not been one during the whole discussion, nor had he joined in. He had merely sat there, staring mid-distance with a serene smile on his lips and the subtle air of proud superiority in his posture. It had made Tony more than just a little uncomfortable, he had not trusted it one bit.  
  
The Asgardians moved into the compound and there was not a single Loki-related incident as far as he heard. He was busy at his tower but since most of the Avengers stayed there when they were in New York, Thor was visiting regularly. Keeping close contact to his shield-brothers, as he called it. He talked about his people sometimes, little anecdotes, but never mentioned his brother with one word.  
Tony suspected that the big warrior needed some time off from being king now and then. Ruling did not look as exciting up close as it was made out to be in tales and stories. Lots of politics and diplomacy which must tire and bore the more active nature of the Thunderer. Tony could relate to that.  
And so it was not out of the ordinary that Thor was at the tower when the call for duty came. Nor was it a surprise to Tony when the King of Asgard asked if he might join them. The offer came in a humble, unassuming way and Steve was more than happy to oblige. The look of pure delight on Thor's face told Tony all he needed to know to have his suspicion confirmed. The King of Asgard was suffering from cabin fever.  
  
They suited up and got their mission directive. Apparently a group of sorcerers was trying to raise an evil entity in Central Park, or some such thing.  
That was a problem. Magical opponents were still a wildcard to them and they called in support whenever possible. Unfortunately Strange was off somewhere, probably on a sabbatical meditating in the Himalayas or whatever, and Maximoff was on a SHIELD mission with Vision and not to be contacted.  
It all shaped up to be a minor disaster with the potential for a major one. While they managed to stop the spell or whatever the crazy bunch were trying to do, they just could not apprehend them. Their attacks bounced off invisible shields and whenever they tried to get close, they would be pushed away. It was frustrating and awkward and Steve started to consider calling in the Hulk although being in the middle of the city when they heard Thor's voice over the comm.  
"My friends, I have an idea."  
Steve tried to fish for more information to which Thor just asked whether he trusted him and their fearless leader, bless his tender heart, answered "of course". The next thing they heard was Thor bellowing "Loki!!" from the top of his lungs.  
  
After that, the fight was over humiliatingly fast. Fury called them all in for debriefing, including their 'plus one', as he acidly put it. The meeting reminded Tony of that first one, three weeks earlier. Loki was just sitting there, a serene smile on his lips and idly picking at his hands. It caused little sparks to flare from his fingers. Nobody commented on it but Tony noticed how the muscles in Fury's neck tensed whenever one of the tiny lightnings fizzled.  
Thor did his best to appear chastised but was not apologetic at all and they agreed that if the need would ever arise again for him to call his brother for support, it would have to be run by SHIELD first. The king glanced at the younger Asgardian who nodded his assent, face never betraying the slightest hint on what he actually thought of the whole thing.  
As the meeting closed and they all stood up, Tony glanced at their, possibly former, enemy who had just saved the day. The "thanks" escaped his lips before he even knew it was on his mind. Loki looked up and arched an eyebrow. It was the first reaction they had seen from him.  
  
Thor's brother had been called in six times more, for increasingly less pressing matters, always manging to stay out of the spotlight. Those illusions of his really came in handy since everyone had agreed that it might not be time yet to introduce him to the general populace.  
The debriefings relaxed until they were almost back to normal. Their unplanned 'plus one' never said much beside what was necessary and people gradually acted more their usual self. Including Tony. Which meant bickering with Fury whenever possible. It was one of his favourite SHIELD-related past times and a great stress relief. Like meditation. And he did not even need to go to the Himalayas for it.  
Now and then, when he was annoying Fury on what he would humbly consider the master level, he thought he felt a gaze on him. When he looked up he sometimes caught a glint of green eyes before their newly acquired sorcerer looked away, face immobile as always. He had not gotten as much as another raised eyebrow so far but chalked it down as _interesting_. He still did not trust Thor's brother.  
Granted, he barely trusted anyone these days.  
  
All the more it threw him for a loop when after almost four months and seemingly out of nowhere, Loki would appear in his workshop with a completely ludicrous proposition.  
  
  
*****  
  
  
"Boss, Director Fury wants to talk to you."  
  
"What does he want?" He did not look away from the displays, spinning them around with flicks of his hand.  
  
"Apparently he has a task for you and would like you to meet him in the penthouse."  
  
"Hmm," his focus was drawn in on a line of code. What had he been thinking when he came up with that? It was a mess.  
  
"Boss, he is rather persistent. And not alone."  
  
That made him furrow his brows, although still concentrated on the intricate lines in front of him. "Not alone?"  
  
"Mr. Laufeyson is with him."  
  
He looked up, stared at a camera. "What are they doing?"  
  
"They are not doing anything at the moment. The director merely requested your presence. "  
  
He frowned. It had been a bit over a week since the… visit… and he had neither heard nor seen anything of the Asgardian. His first instinct was to ignore Fury for another hour the least, he did have a reputation to uphold. Actually, his real first instinct was to send up the newest sentinel to kick them out of his penthouse.  
It might even work on Fury. When it came to the other one, he wasn't that sure.  
He heaved a sigh and leaned back in his chair.  
"The smart thing to do would be to see what they want and get rid of them, right?"  
  
"Boss?"  
  
Sometimes he missed Jarvis. No, he _often_ missed Jarvis. While Friday certainly had her charm there was not the same level of dry sarcasm. But he had not wanted just some replacement, had he.  
With another sigh he stood up, stretched his back and twisted his arms. Something popped, a muscle under his right shoulder. He did not think about how he wasn't getting any younger.  
  
"Stark" Fury snapped. They turned halfway towards him as he stepped into the spacious room and he felt the corner of his mouth twitch. Did they even realise how similar they looked? Both draped in a long, black leather coat, hands behind their back, half turned so they had full view of the room and a direct line of sight towards the large windows while their backs were against a wall. Their stance was at ease, straight, with an underlying conviction of power.  
He was looking forward to throwing the similarity into one of their faces at some point, although not sure which one he would pick. It would probably piss them off equally.  
  
"What can I do for you, gentlemen?" He asked with showy politeness as he sauntered over to pour himself a drink. He did not offer one to either of them.  
  
"It's time to finally address one of our major weaknesses," Fury had taken to stalking about the room. Tony kept his focus on him, pointedly ignoring the third person present. "Magic users have always been a problem and I'm done with it. We're going to figure something out to counteract them and since we have some new resources," the director cast a quick glance at where the god was lingering, Tony kept his eyes on the strolling figure, "I want you to make the best out of that."  
  
A suspicion was rising in him. He frowned. "What are you talking about."  
  
"I'm talking about magic fingers over there who has been oh so helpful." Fury's jaw tensed. "It's too good a chance not to study what he can do."  
  
Tony stared at Fury. "We tried that with Maximoff. It didn't work."  
  
"The witch's powers are different from mine." Once again he fought the urge to tense. That voice was way to silky. "She came upon them haphazardly and can barely control them, let alone _explain_."  
  
"And you can?" He turned towards him at last, taking in the tall, slender figure leaning against the wall, pale face calm and even.  
  
"I could." There was a slight twitch of a corner of the mouth. "I have studied the arcane arts for centuries."  
  
Tony ground his teeth and flashed a glance at Fury. "What about Strange?"  
  
"You know very well he isn't exactly tossing around information. It's hard enough to get hold of him for random back up."  
  
He looked back at the god, or whatever he might be, while doing his best to think beyond conflicting urges. He had been aching to get a grip on the whole magic thing ever since the very bastard standing there had stepped out of a portal that should not exist. But he did not trust this, not one bit. He certainly did not trust him. Maybe his poker face was slipping, or Fury knew him too well by now. The director was looking at him with a calm expression.  
"You don't need to have him here. We have a perfectly fine research facility at the compound…"  
  
"No." Tony interrupted, before he even thought of it. This was going to be on _his_ terms. "Give me three days to set up a secure lab and Brucie's going to move into the tower." He glowered at the two figures in black, then put his glass down with a distinctive clink and turned around to move towards the elevator.  
  
"I am looking forward to it, Mr. Stark."  
  
He strode on, his steps not faltering one bit. It took a lot. The husky whisper had been like sharp claws trailing down his spine.  
  
  
*****  
  
  
Working with Loki was… surprisingly pleasant. He was obliging, helpful and polite almost to a fault. Tony suspected it was a ruse to piss him off, but in that case the joke was on all of them since the Asgardian prince treated them all with equal graciousness. Maybe it was a royalty thing, although Thor certainly acted much easier around them and he was the king. But he was also their shield brother and that seemed to count for rather a lot in the Asgardian point of view.  
  
They scanned Loki's magic, discussed results, came up with tests and Tony caught himself getting continuously more relaxed around what looked more and more like a former enemy. He even felt silly about the tenseness he had felt the first time Loki had stepped into the designated research area. He had had an obscure feeling the god would jump him then and there, for what purpose he did not even let his mind expand on.  
He had not been jumped. He had not even been teased or reminded of that odd little talk from a while ago. At first it had put him on edge but the more he had allowed himself to sink into their work the more he had grown to be at ease. It had gotten to the point that he did not even insist on Bruce working nearby anymore.  
That in itself made him wary whenever he thought about it but he knew that Friday would call his back up if need arose - and Loki apparently had means to enter the tower at will anyway. Which was more than worrying. At this point it was aggravating.  
  
"I take this as a personal insult." Tony growled, glaring at the results flickering over a bright screen.  
  
"Oh, I am terribly sorry. Would you like another try?"  
  
Tony ground his teeth. "No reason to sound so smug." He glanced up as he heard a low snicker. Loki looked insufferably pleased with himself and he suddenly realised that the sorcerer - no, mage, wasn't it - had been different during the last few sessions. It had been subtle at first, but he definitely seemed to have lightened up. He still kept his distance but the politeness more and more seemed like a layer on top of something else. He had been… snarkier? Was that the word? It had not been a bad thing. Tony loved bickering and he suspected he had gone along with it without even noticing.  
  
"Is there something on my face?"  
  
"What?" He blinked and realised he must have been staring. "Nah, nothing of interest." He waved disparagingly.  
  
"Is that so." The corner of Loki's mouth twitched.  
That was more common too, now. That weird half-smirk. He did not see it very often in the meetings with the Avengers, only when the mage was playing obtuse to frustrate the others - and that he was playing, Tony was sure, he knew Loki was _smart_ \- but it happened quite often here in the workshop.  
When had that started?  
  
"You still seem distracted. Shall I leave you for today? Is your poor mortal mind in need of respite?"  
  
"Poor mortal mind my ass. Just let me adjust…" he typed in some alterations. The shield should work. He did not understand how the god was still able to teleport. "And go!"  
  
Golden light flickered across Loki as he vanished, just to reappear a few steps to the left.  
"Thwarted yet again, I fear." He grinned, showing way too much teeth.  
  
"How is that even possible?!" Tony threw up his hands. He stopped just before he would pull at his hair. "This should work!"  
  
"Magic." Loki smirked, waggling his long, elegant fingers. Little sparks of green trickled from them, gleaming in mid-air for a moment before vanishing.  
  
"You don't say," Tony deadpanned. "It still shouldn't be possible. Look at these results."  
  
Tony narrowed his eyes as the tall figure sauntered towards him. Had he always moved like this? He frowned and turned to stare at the screen in front him. Loki stopped to his right and leaned forward, looking at the lines of data.  
"Hmmm…" The low rumble made Tony narrow his eyes further but he kept them on the results.  
"No, cannot help you there."  
  
He sighed and threw himself back against his chair, ignoring how it brought him closer to the other.  
"Great help you are, bud." That earned him a snort. "Fine, I'll let it run through another simulation overnight. Now, about those engines…"  
  
They talked of magic and mathematics and of something that Loki called energy marks which were magnetic field lines to Tony and somewhere along the night Tony ordered pizza and was amazed at how specific Loki was about what he wanted on his.  
  
  
*****  
  
  
When had he started to notice the way Loki moved?  
He watched him on the battlefield, when he weaved through his opponents, taking them down with wild magic and gleaming blades. He watched him in the workshop, where he created illusions with the flick of a hand and shaped the world around them by will.  
He watched people, that was what he did. He watched his teammates and their enemies, always eager to learn and take what was useful to implement into his creations.  
It was not special, that he watched him, that he noticed those things. Things like elegant fingers, a tall, sublime frame, the way he twisted his neck when he looked over a shoulder, challenging.  
It was normal. Tony Stark noticed things. It had nothing to do with that visit. With the weird proposition. He was not thinking about that. He certainly did not consider.  
He just watched and noticed things.  
  
  
*****  
  
  
Official functions could go two ways for a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. Either they were great fun or deadly boring. This one was shaping up towards the latter.  
It was hosted by SI so he had to _behave_. For Pepper's sake. He would not have cared had it not been for Pepper's sake but his effort-making was going so well, he did not dare risking it. He could behave for a night and smarm the posh, the rich and the famous.  
He leaned against the bar and observed the room laid out in front of him. Tasteful decoration, subdued light, a live string quartet that was playing impeccably as the high society of NYC danced. All of it showed a tasteful amount of money and the high quality that could be acquired with it. At least the drinks rose to the occasion.  
The company however. He grimaced as goddamn Justin Hammer went off on another tangent about his newest weapons program.  
He knew that he could do better. He knew that Hammer knew. He did not need to point it out to assert his superiority but the endless droning just got boring. Not for the first time he wondered how the little weasel had conned his way out of prison. In any case, he would have to become rude very soon if he did not shut up, Pepper be damned. For now he turned around and ordered another drink.  
  
"I have to say, Stark, your events do still live up to their reputation. The guests are certainly… lovely."  
  
He glanced at the other, a biting retort on his lips, then saw that Hammer's attention was fixed on something in the crowd. Swallowing down sarcasm with a swig of excellent bourbon he followed the other's gaze.  
A woman was striding towards them, wrapped in a deceivingly simple dress. He remembered enough from Pepper to know that something that understated but at the same time flattering must be stupidly expensive. The fabric seemed to gleam. It appeared black at first glance but now and then, when candlelight fell on it, there was a dark green lustre.  
He had recognised the figure even before his eyes reached the face. There was only one person he knew who moved like _that_. The face was pale, as usual, and framed by strands of dark auburn hair that seemed to have escaped a complicated looking twist of braids and strings of emeralds. He… she was close enough now that Tony could see a pair of bright green eyes.  
  
He more felt than saw Hammer straightening up beside him. He was probably puffing out his chest, too. Tony snorted into his drink.  
  
"What a charming greeting." The voice was low and husky, even in its female timbre.  
  
"Stark's manners are sadly lacking," Hammer was eager to jump in. "I assure you that some of us know how to behave around a lady." He nearly bowed. Tony was staring in fascination.  
  
"Is that so?" The dark mouth twisted into a smile, it looked more insincere than Tony had ever seen it. Then Loki turned towards him.  
"Bad manners or not, I still hold you to that dance you have promised me."  
  
"What?" He spluttered, his brains suddenly feeling short-circuited. Like he had missed a whole line of conversation.  
  
"Oh, we all know Stark doesn't dance," Hammer grinned. "But I'd be delighted to fill in."  
  
The green eyes moved over to the other man, scrutinising him. "You are Justin Hammer, former CEO of Hammer Industries. Weapons development, mainly." Something pensive crept into the gaze. Something Tony could not place but did not like.  
Hammer on the other hand seemed thrilled.  
  
"Just the one! I'm honoured." This time he actually _did_ bow, the little twerp. "And you are…"  
  
"Leaving" Tony ground out, as he stepped forward, conveniently pushing away Hammer's outstretched hand. "I don't back down on promises."  
He grabbed the slender figure at the elbow and pulled him… her towards the dancefloor. Once they arrived he twisted and thrust Loki forward. The god… goddess spun lightly and stepped up into his arms.  
  
"What are you doing here?" He hissed.  
  
"Why Mr. Stark," Loki closed in and kept her voice low. "I am here in an official capacity."  
  
Tony raised an eyebrow at the woman in front of him. It took some adjusting, that one. He was more than aware of Loki's skill in creating illusions but the gentle curve of waist under his hand felt real.  
  
"Thor asked me to be here. I do not doubt your formidable CEO in aiding him," she glanced over his should and at their next spin he noticed Pepper hovering near the King of Asgard who seemed in deep conversation with some attaché, "however, we both believed that she will have additional obligations tonight. Other than babysitting my brother."  
The wide mouth curved. Tony gave an unimpressed stare.  
  
"So you're here to keep an eye on brother dear? One would think it should be the other way around."  
  
"One would, would one not. However, that has been my task for the last few centuries. Old habits are hard to break."  
  
"And while already here you're sniffing out potential business partners?"  
  
That earned him a delicately arched eyebrow. "Is that not the purpose of this event?"  
  
"If you ask Pepper, it's to raise money for charity."  
  
"Of course," the tall woman smiled blandly. "That is what she would say. But all three of us know that the real worth of gatherings like these lie somewhere else."  
  
"You're not going to get real worth with Hammer, I can guarantee you that." His voice sounded odd to him. Pressed and too curt. Opposite of him, the bland smile did not waver.  
  
"No? Perhaps you are right. But he was of some use tonight." She shrugged a shoulder, the silky fabric glimmered on pale skin. Tony narrowed his eyes then coughed.  
  
"So, any luck otherwise? Beside almost getting scammed by Hammer Tech?"  
  
Loki grinned. For real, this time. "Not on the business side of things. Unfortunately, I had to keep myself entertained in other ways."  
  
Tony swallowed, suddenly anxious. Countless nights of working together and battles fought with each other did not mean he trusted the mage. Especially not in what Loki would consider entertainment.  
  
"Oh, do not look so alarmed." The woman's face took on a mildly amused look. "It is interesting to see the things people are lying about. They do not differ all that much between the Royal Court of Asgard and what Midgardians call high society. "  
  
Tony frowned. Lies… that rung a bell. Wasn't there something about lies? "God of Lies," he muttered.  
  
"Goddess, in this variation, but quite right."  
  
"So this is real then?" He jumped at the information. He had been wondering.  
  
"Quite. I am a natural shapeshifter." She shrugged again. "This is but one of my many forms."  
  
Tony's mind boggled. "You could have mentioned that." He hissed. "Weren't you supposed to give a full list of your powers?"  
  
"Your point being?" Loki looked impossibly gleeful.  
  
"My point being this isn't on any list. You're supposed to work with us."  
  
He was drawn closer, those arms were deceptively slender. He could feel steel and strength in them as they wrapped around him. They were close enough now so they could whisper.  
  
"And are you not supposed to work for SHIELD? Or with, at least? Do tell me how many of your creations they know about. And to what extent."  
  
He ground his teeth. "Have you been going through my privacy settings?"  
  
"I do not have to. We both know the worth of keeping some things close."  
He could almost _feel_ the smirk now, sliding against his skin.  
  
"Goddess of Lies."  
  
"Not as much lies in this instance but insurance. Is it not?"  
  
He shrugged. What use was there in denying it. No, he did not share all his secrets with SHIELD. Doing so would be stupid and he had been stupid when it came to his work way too often. He was not going to repeat that mistake. So who was he to judge Loki for keeping some cards up their sleeve.  
Still, it did not sit right with him. It had him feeling at a disadvantage and Tony Stark made sure that if anybody was in that position, it would not be him. Never again. But there would be no winning this. Not here and now. He decided to let it go for the time being.  
  
"So, what lies have you spotted so far? Anything of use?"  
  
"Not really, not for you in any case or so I assume. It mostly helped me realise that although worlds apart, what passes as _society_ is lamentable uncreative in most places."  
  
"How so?" Tony asked, genuinely interested.  
  
"For example," Loki spun them around. It was disconcerting how fast she could adjust between leading and following, "the woman over there. Do you know her?"  
  
Tony glanced over the delicate shoulder in front of him. "Yes, Miranda Vanse. Member of several boards, bigshot on Wallstreet, married. What about her?"  
  
"She is attractive, is she not?"  
  
"I guess so," Tony frowned. He took in the woman indicated at their next turn. Yes, she was attractive, in a no-nonsense, business tycoon sort of way. She must be the only woman present not wearing a dress. Or one of a very few at least.  
  
"And now, for exhibit B," Loki spun them a few more rounds. "Her husband."  
  
Tony looked at the aging man surrounded by a gaggle of giggling young women. For the flash of a second he saw himself there. Himself from years past, when he was younger. Before Pepper. His frown deepened.  
"I always thought they were happily married."  
  
"Oh, they are," came the husky reply. "He does adore his wife. Worships her, in fact. He married her because not only is she attractive but also highly ambitious. Still, with deep shame he wishes for her to be simply beautiful for him now and again. Which is probably why he lets her have fun capturing hapless economists while he spends his evening plying young socialites with enough drink so they won't mind him staring at their tits."  
  
Tony missed a step and stumbled.  
  
"Are you feeling alright, Mr. Stark?"  
  
He stared at the striking woman in front of him who looked so classy and polished with her refined voice and elegant dress.  
"You've got quite the mouth on you, Ms. Laufeyson."  
  
Said mouth took on a wicked tilt. "Really, you believe that is the worst this mouth has said? Or been up to…"  
  
Something in how the words were whispered, in the timber of that posh voice and the curl of those lips made his skin tingle. He blinked and directed his gaze over the other's shoulder again.  
They danced in silence until their set ended. When it did, Loki gave a slight courtesy which would have been utterly ridiculous coming from anyone else but, impossible at it seemed, looked so much in place on her.  
  
"I do believe I should return to my duties. Thank you for this most… pleasant… diversion."  
She gave him a look which he could not, would not, discern and wove her way back through the crowd towards Thor who was indeed standing Pepper-less in a corner. Steve was with him though, which could make it either okay or a complete disaster. Still, it was not his disaster so he turned around to move towards the bar. He really needed a drink.  
  
He had just ordered when he heard the tell-tale clacking of heels behind him.  
  
"We have to talk."  
  
He turned around and took in the radiant apparition of Pepper in her silver evening gown. Probably another birthday present of his.  
"Sure," he muttered and followed her into a closed alcove.  
  
She looked around, making sure they had privacy, then turned to hiss at him. "What are you doing?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"The dancing." She crossed her arms and raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him.  
  
"What about it? Isn't that what one does at these events?"  
  
"You do know who that was, don't you?"  
  
"Of course I do," it was his turn to look unimpressed. "I just don't see the problem."  
  
"The _problem_ ," she whispered urgently, "is that nobody is supposed to know that he's with the Asgardians."  
  
"So it's okay if he… she is flouncing around all evening but it's suddenly a problem when she's dancing with me?" He was confused. Annoyed? He was not sure what he was.  
  
"You don't dance." Pepper hissed.  
  
"Now you're saying that, too." He complained. "Of course I dance. I dance plenty, or have at some point."  
  
"At parties, sure. But you don't dance at official events. Not if it's not absolutely expected of you. The only exception you've ever made was…"  
  
"You."  
  
They stared at each other for a moment. He did not know what to make of this, what to make of her concern.  
  
"Listen, I had to get her away. Hammer was just trying to get to her. Do you really want his dirty hands on Asgardian tech?"  
  
The moment stretched to what felt like an eternity, then she sighed.  
  
"Be that as it may, what do you think the talk will be after you dancing with an unknown woman? Everyone will want to find out who she was. Why she was important."  
  
He drew a hand over his face. "We'll say she belonged to the Asgardian delegation. It's true after all. And that it was necessary that I showed respect. You're good at that sort of thing." He tried for a winning smile.  
  
Pepper looked at him, looked into his eyes. He was not sure what it was he saw in hers. Then she sighed.  
"Fine. Just please, Tony…"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Be careful, okay?"  
  
*  
Thor was in his kitchen when he sleepwalked through the door in pursuit of coffee. He blinked and stared at the King of Asgard who was sitting there in jeans and a button up, munching on a slice of toast with some newspaper in front of him and a pink cup by his elbow.  
"Hey Pointbreak," he patted the broad back, "coffee?"  
  
"I have made some." Big blond nodded at a moka pot. Tony eyed it suspiciously and sniffed at the brown liquid. Not as good as Clint's self-brewed.  
"Why is no one using the machine? It's the best there is. You people have no taste."  
  
He heard Thor chuckle but it sounded off. It was subdued and a subdued Thunderer usually meant something was up. Taking his cup of proper coffee to the table, he sunk onto a chair.  
"How are things?"  
  
Thor glanced at him and shifted. He almost squirmed. Yep, something was up. He raised an eyebrow at the uncomfortable Asgardian.  
"Come one, we're buds, right?"  
  
With a sigh the newspaper was pushed towards him. It showed the society section and in the middle was a picture of him in what looked like a tight embrace with a tall woman.  
  
"Ah."  
  
The king just looked at him. Tony cleared his throat. "We'll say she was some Asgardian VIP and I had to show proper respect. Pepper's fixing it." He tried for waving disparagingly.  
  
"I know." Thor sighed, leaning back against his chair which creaked in protest. "Lady Pepper has contacted me already."  
  
"Then what more?" Tony asked. Why do you look bothered? Why do you think this is important? What do you think is going on? He did not ask.  
  
Thor rolled his shoulders, a shrug or attempt to loosen his tense frame. "I was merely wondering how it came to happen. You dancing with Loki."  
  
Taking a deep gulp of coffee, Tony schooled his features into uninterested nonchalance. He was pretty sure he managed it, his deadpan was a work of art after years of practice.  
"Just rescuing a woman from a sleezy guy. I can be quite the gentleman, you know?"  
  
Thor's gaze shot up at him. There was something penetrating and intense in it. "So it was your idea?"  
  
Tony did his best not to squirm. He did not know why lying to Thor bothered him. And it was a tiny, insignificant lie. But he liked Thor. And he wanted to stay on his good side. Still… what he most definitely did _not_ want was this conversation to turn towards certain strange propositions that might have been made.  
  
"Yes, it was me. Didn't you ask Loki about it?" Saver ground, that. Redirecting.  
  
"I did. But he did not really answer." Tony raised an eyebrow at that and Thor sighed once more. "He merely said it was nothing for me to worry about."  
  
"It really isn't." Tony was happily on board with that. "It isn't a big deal."  
  
"There was an expression on his face." Thor was staring past him now. Like he was seeing something on the wall behind him, something from long ago that caused him pain. Tony's heart sped up.  
  
"What sort of expression?"  
  
The king chuckled then sighed and shook his head. "Asgardians live such long lives that sometimes we forget that even we change. It happens so slowly that we barely take notice. For a long time, I had seen my brother as I always thought of him. Completely loyal to me and willing to help in whatever I aspire. Then there was a break and I had to realise that what I had been seeing was a lie, for how long I am still not sure. The look on his face today reminded me of how he used to be, centuries ago. Mischievous and always eager to play."  
  
"But that’s… good. Isn't it?" Tony swallowed.  
  
"I am not sure." The big hands fumbled with the horrid pink cup. "Loki has always been… different. His games could range from highly entertaining to mildly irritating to downright malicious. It depended a lot on who they were directed at, I suspect. And how the recipient reacted to them." He looked up again, straight into Tony's eyes. "I am not sure how you would like them."  
  
A chill was running down Tony's spine. He took a deep breath and gave the thunder god a bright and easy smile.  
"Well, so far I can't complain. He's helping me with the magic thing and has always had our backs in a fight."  
  
Thor shrugged one of his enormous shoulders. "It might have just been the gathering last night that got him into a mood."  
  
"Well, in any case, thanks for the warning." Tony was just getting ready to stand up when something in Thor's posture stopped him. There was still a tenseness that looked too out of place on the usually jovial god. "Is there anything else?"  
  
Thor cleared his throat with a rumble. "I will try to talk to my brother again. But I do hope, should there be any… humorous incidents… you would not be all too offended." He stared at the cup in his hands.  
  
Tony frowned, trying to catch up with what was going on. "Okay, spell it out for me, I'm not following."  
  
"My people are resilient. But they are tired." The king heaved a sigh. "We could find another place, I am sure, but what they need most right now is a moment to breath and respite. We all are most grateful to you, Anthony Stark, that you offer us a place to do that."  
  
Something clicked. "You think I'll kick you out if Loki pisses me off?" He stared incredulously at the other.  
  
"As I said, he can be quite… volatile. If the mood strikes him."  
  
"I've noticed, believe me." In an unbidden reaction his fingers touched his neck. He remembered shattering glass with his back and then falling and falling and falling.  
  
Thor must have read what was on his mind and cringed. "As I said, we are most grateful to you. You have been gracious beyond what could be hoped for."  
  
"Gracious…" Tony snorted. "First time I was ever accused of that." He smiled. "But seriously, big boy. I'm not going to kick you out because something bag of cats does. Well, as long as he's not rallying up a horde of Asgardians to take over the world." He felt the need to add that. One never knew. "Loki is Loki and you are you. And you are the king of a bunch of people who from what I can see have done nothing to deserve what they got."  
  
The underlying tension that had been in Thor's frame evaporated. He leaned back with what seemed a heartfelt sigh.  
"I thank you. Again."  
  
"Don't mention it." Tony patted a bulging arm. Then he mirrored the other, sinking against his chair. "You don't trust him, do you?"  
  
Thor tensed for a second before looking into his eyes. "Trust is a difficult concept."  
  
Tony frowned. "It really isn't…"  
  
"Is it not?" Thor tilted his head. "Do you trust or distrust unconditionally? Is it not very situational, whom one trusts and to what extend?"  
  
"That's not what I meant." Tony ground his teeth. He was so close to finally figuring out something that had been nagging at him. He did not exactly know what it was, but it was important. It was significant. And most of all it was not the time for Thor of all people to be waxing philosophical.  
  
"But that is exactly what you meant." Thor took a sip of his coffee before setting the cup down gently. "Do I trust my brother unconditionally? No. I have come to learn that to be unwise. I do trust him that, when all things crumble, he will always look out for himself first and foremost. That is important knowledge. I also do trust that whatever he does has meaning and purpose."  
He looked up, right at Tony, expression sombre and pressing.  
"He saved us, you know? Without him there would be no Asgard to rebuild. A few of us might have survived but, as a whole, our people would have perished. He risked his life to save our people. I have a hard time believing he would do that only to ruin the effort at the next opportune moment. Do I trust him to always be on my side?" He shrugged. "No. It would be foolish. But I do trust that in this time and place he is working along with me to give a home to our people. And I trust in him not endangering that goal. Not intentionally."  
  
Tony hummed. The got an answer, didn't he? But he was not sure it was the one he wanted. If he were honest with himself, he was not even sure what answer he had been hoping for. Nor what the question was, exactly.  
He realised that Thor must have stood up when a big hand landed on his shoulder.  
  
"I believe Midgard has nothing to fear from my brother. You know he is not in the same condition he was in the first time you met him. As for the other…" Thor hesitated and his hand pressed down on him for a second. "I do not think he has any malicious intentions towards you. But I do believe you caught his interest. I wish you good luck."  
  
Tony thought he heard the King of Asgard chuckle as he left the kitchen.  
  
  
*****  
  
  
It had always been about power.  
  
Back in the days, when he was young and stupid and blind, it had been the power to know what he was capable of. That his creations were miles ahead of everything anyone could have nightmares about. It had given him significance, had made him matter, when for so long he had been barely worth a thought by the one person he strove to please more than anyone else.  
Then there had been a cave and the power to burn to the ground those who had attempted to use him.  
The power to do what he really wanted, not following expectations but proving them _wrong_ , had come after that. To this day he savoured the memory of standing in court, proclaiming to all the world that he had privatized peace. He had them all in the palm of his hand, helpless and unable to touch him. It had felt like flying.  
Flight had become a reality with his suit, and with it also came danger. He remembered the first time he flew, going higher and higher until the air went thin and freezing and deadly had it not been for his creation carrying him beyond what was human possible.  
He could have died that day, he realized afterwards, as he analysed the damage on the suit. Had he flown just a little farther… That was when danger had awoken. Stirring deep within him, rising and rising until it broke over him like a wave. He had never felt so _alive_. It had left him tense and tingling and _craving_.  
He had gone out that night, with the sole purpose of picking someone. Someone big and strong who might have the capacity of overpowering him but who he would take home on _his_ terms. Home to where his creations were lurking. It had been a very satisfying night.  
Danger had come to stay.  
  
Power and danger had followed him around. He had found them in little instances, big battles and often created them himself. He had tried for them to lie dormant for Pepper. Pepper who was danger and power herself, but other than him did not thrive on it. The danger and power she held she had tamed and made useful. She never understood his craving to hunt for it only to let it run free. To be wanting more, always more, needing that thrill, having it make his blood sing.  
  
"Isn't it dangerous?"  
He asked one night, as Loki sat surrounded by sensors, letting green flames play on his outstretched palm.  
It had almost scared him, the first time he had looked at the scans. To see written in cold numbers the sheer amount of energy and force and _power_ contained in that slender body.  
"It's amazing and stunning and… but… if you lost control. If it breaks free. It could kill you, right?"  
Loki looked up, vibrant eyes reflecting the fire in front of him.  
"Isn't it dangerous?"  
"Ah, Mr. Stark, so are most things worth having, are they not."  
  
  
*****  
  
  
"Tony, have you seen…"  
  
He closed the starkbook with a snap.  
  
"You ok?" Bruce shuffled into the room in his usual unobtrusive, slightly apologetic way.  
  
"Sure, why wouldn't I be." He straightened himself up and placed the elegant piece of electronics on the table in front of the couch. Bruce glanced at him for a moment then scanned the room.  
  
"Have you seen the current issue of the NEJM? I thought I left it here."  
  
"Brucie," he sighed dramatically. "What more can I do to convince you to go e-journal?"  
  
"I know." Bruce grinned and sat down beside him. "I just like reading on paper. Old habits die hard."  
  
He smiled and patted a bony knee. Some things good old Banner just clung to and would not let go. He could understand it in a way, with all the changes that had been forced upon him. The human side of the Hulk was holding on to the things that reminded him of the time there had been only one of them. Bruce Banner tried to stay true to Bruce Banner, still, there had been changes lately. He glanced at his friend.  
  
"You know, you never talked much about the things that have happened up there." He waved at the general direction of the sky.  
  
"And I don't need to." Bruce retorted firmer than was usual for him. "I told you all that was necessary, for the rest." He shrugged. "A lot of it was the Hulk anyway. Memories from him are always unclear and unreliable."  
  
Tony did his best not to stare too intensely. The Hulk had always fascinated him and it was a rare treat to have Bruce talking about him. Still, he knew his friend would retreat if he pushed too far.  
"If you ever want to have a chat, I'm here. I mean it." He smiled and added with an overly teasing voice, "and not only for science".  
  
Bruce chuckled and relaxed. "Thanks. And I know that. Same goes for you, you know?" His eyes fell on the starkbook for a second, before looking back at Tony.  
  
"Thanks to you, too. Aren't we all mature and stuff." He grinned and stood up. "Gotta go, run some tests." He concentrated very hard on picking up the starkbook as casually as was humanly possible, then turned and gave his friend a sincere smile.  
  
"I mean it. Thanks."  
  
"I know, Tony. I appreciate it too."  
  
*  
  
It was ridiculous and stupid and utterly _frustrating_!  
He could not stop himself from watching Loki. It kind of made sense when it was during a fight. He could tell himself that it was one of his tasks as air-surveillance, to watch the backs of his teammates. And their 'plus one'.  
In the workshop it was not all too bad either. He was researching his powers, after all, and had to observe him for that purpose. He stubbornly ignored the needling voice which tried to tell him that lately, he had been looking more often at the god doing magic instead of the results the scans were creating.  
But it was valuable, right? It made sense. It was useful to know how Loki created and destroyed, see all the dramatic and subtle movements, learning to read him. They never knew when they would have to fight him again, it would come in handy then.  
He tried not to think about how watching was not the same as studying. How his gaze followed the elegant movements but did not analyse. How he looked at those slender hands and long fingers and…  
No. This was useful. It had nothing to do with an unexpected proposition that had been made what felt like an eternity ago. Which Loki had not spoken of again, not once. And which Tony did not consider. Would not.  
  
Watching him in meetings was trickier to explain away. He went with his low attention span and Loki always being good entertainment value. He still bickered with Fury himself but one could only do that so often before it got repetitive. Adding another player to the field who got similar reactions out of the director with a much more subtle, twisted approach was amusing. Yes, that was all he got out of it, amusement. That was the only reason he was admiring the way Loki could twist words until they chased themselves, how he could confuse the guileless - which usually meant Steve - and needle the hot-headed - mostly Clint and Thor, whenever the king was there - all the while portraying a face of obliging innocence that looked completely sincere. It was expertly done, Tony had to admit. He had never been above applauding a fellow master.  
  
He would have been ashamed of himself, had he any shame left, when he had taken to reviewing recordings. It had been really hard to justify that one. Sure, he had tried telling himself it was a good idea to research how their group worked in battle, but he had never done that before. It was Steve's job. The captain was good at it and had a deep interest in battle strategies which meant he could stare at the recordings for hours, dissecting every tiny detail. Tony had never bothered with that, with how they worked as a group. More often than not it was him who overthrew Steve's carefully laid out plans.  
So it could only go on for that long until Tony Stark, who was quite good at lying to himself, had to admit defeat. He hated admitting defeat, it was something he very rarely was forced to do. At least it was usually only admitting it to himself.  
  
Defeat had come when reviewing the recordings his suit had acquired from their latest battle. He had hesitated for a moment then zoomed in on their 'plus one', tension and uneasiness coiling in his gut. It felt wrong in a way he could not grasp. Intrusive. Brash. Fighting down the unwanted sensations he watched the deadly figure fight, could almost _feel_ the energy surging from him. He had been present to Loki's magic often enough to know how that felt. How it raised the hair on his neck when Loki unleashed his powers, just to reign them in again and bend them to his will. Something else entirely began coiling in his gut, spreading heat across his skin.  
He zoomed in closer, all the way until he could make out the god's face, and his breath caught. Glowing green eyes were staring right at him, up at him, as if they knew he would be looking.  
  
  
*****  
  
  
"Mr. Stark, that is quite inappropriate."  
  
He glanced at the tall figure dressed in comfortable looking black, who was lounging in an armchair close by his workbench and reading on a starkpad. He did not remember bringing an _armchair_ to his workshop.  
  
"So me scanning the hell out of you and dissecting your magic is fine, but asking if you've ever been a girl-horse is inappropriate?"  
  
He could see the quick twitch of a mouth while Loki's eyes continued to be focused on his reading.  
"The word you are looking for is mare. And I am well aware of the rather creative exploits of your mortal writers."  
  
"Well, it's for science!" That won him a snort. "In any case, you could stop it with the whole 'Mr.' thing."  
  
Loki turned this head to look at him. Slowly. With a tensing and relaxing of that long, pale neck. Tony swallowed. The bastard must know what that did to him. He must. Damn him.  
  
"Is that not your name and a proper form of address?" The god raised an elegant eyebrow.  
  
"Sure, I guess, but we've been spending quite some time together and… Most people call me Tony. Or at least just Stark."  
  
"Hmmm," Loki stared into mid-distance, seemingly lost in thought, a long finger tapping against his lips. "Anthony Edward Stark."  
  
Tony swallowed, again. Damn it. He glowered at the display in front of him. "You're not going to call me all that. That makes me think of my nanny whenever I broke something." There was a chuckle, light and silvery and more honest than anything he had ever heard. He looked at the god who was watching him with crinkles around his eyes and a wide grin on his lips.  
  
"No, we certainly cannot have that. Furthermore, it would be quite a… mouthful. Would it not?"  
  
His breath caught as he stared at those wide, clever lips. Damn it! He cleared his throat.  
"Yup. Not something we want, is it."  
  
"Is it?"  
  
He glared at the god who had tilted his head questioningly. The dark hair had grown longer lately, strands of it were nestled in the crook where neck met shoulder. It looked silky, a stark contrast against that pale, immaculate skin. He was not staring, he was not!  
_Damn it!_  
  
  
*****  
  
  
"Friday, report."  
He glanced down at the street above which he was hovering. It was a mess. Doom really had outdone himself this time. He just about had it with that megalomaniac and his sad excuses for robotics. Sad excuses that unfortunately were still capable of doing quite some damage.  
  
"This section is cleared, boss. Mr. Laufeyson has just finished off the last of the active drones."  
  
"How are the others doing?"  
  
"They're congregating in section D-4 where there's still some activity. They're swiftly taking care of it."  
  
"Good." He sighed and allowed himself to land for a moment. His boots clanked on the rough ground, grinding chunks of debris under them. He was just taking a deep breath as the shockwave hit him. Had he not been in his suit, he would have been flung across the street, as it was he just staggered a step forward.  
  
"What the…" He spun around as fast as the metal encasing him allowed. Nearby, the remnants of car exploded and smoke was billowing. It lingered for a moment, a sheet of grey ashes, then a figure stepped through it.  
He stared as the god was striding down the street, magic rippling over him in gleaming streaks, straining at his outstretched hands. He made a flowing movement and Tony shuddered when another car exploded, fire and smoke rising high. Bright flames danced in the dust and dirt and grime but he could not feel them. Could not feel their heat nor smell the smoke.  
He watched Loki walking towards him, languid and unhurried, while the wreckage surrounding them took flame as the god passed. He wanted to feel the heat but only felt his mouth run dry, heart beating fast, blood rushing in his ears. The feeling of too tight skin. The tightness that made him want to claw at it. Have someone claw at it…  
He heard a voice, his voice, it sounded foreign in his ears.  
  
"Friday, perimeter search."  
  
"Perimeter cleared except for you and Mr. Laufeyson."  
  
"Complete perimeter containment. Artificial and human. Incoming communication only."  
  
"Boss?"  
  
"Copy!"  
  
"Complete perimeter containment confirmed."  
  
A push of his repulsors made him move. Just enough to get there, just enough to reach him. He landed right in front of him. Loki looked up, they were almost the same height like this. He had never realised it before. Heat burst against his skin as he opened the faceplate, the air was heavy with smoke and petrol and melting asphalt and he sucked it in with a deep, greedy breath. He looked into eyes that were supposed to be green but could only see triumph and victory and something _wild_. He grabbed the god's neck, pulled him in and bit at those lips.  
Somewhere, in the back of his mind, a hushed voice tried to tell him that they were kissing while his city was burning.  
  
*  
  
Cockblocked by Steve Rogers. It had a nice ring to it, he should make it the title of his memoires. They would be sold out within days.  
Unfortunately, Saved by Steve Rogers was probably closer to the truth but the sound of that just did not have the same appeal.  
  
It had not taken long for the captain's voice to be clambering for his attention somewhere in the haze. He had taken a step back, attempting to tear himself away from the feel and taste and had just caught the end of the transmission.  
"… reassemble at the HQ for the debrief."  
And then, "Iron Man, get your tin can over there. And if you see the 'plus one', drag his scrawny ass along." That had been Clint, unsurprisingly.  
He had stared at Loki, breathless and flushed, heat and ice spreading over his body. His skin still too tight, he still wanted to claw at it. He wanted _him_ to claw at it…  
“This doesn’t mean a thing,” he had said, his voice rough and barely a whisper. And Loki had looked at him, his expression not wavering, not the fraction of an inch. Had just looked at him with gleeful eyes and a triumphant curl to his lips.  
  
They were seated around an unimaginatively ordinary conference table and he had done his best not to stare at the prince who sat opposite of him but thankfully a few seats to the left. It was rather amusing, watching Steve and Fury trying to pound some respect for ownership into the stubborn head. They had even attempted to grill him for not stopping Loki blowing shit up. He had merely answered that said shit had already been beyond repair and he did not see what the whole fuss was about. Then he had sunk back into his chair, quiet, holding onto his coffee with an unnecessarily firm grip.  
  
What could he say?  
That he was quite fond of some nice fireworks himself? That he had been too busy playing tongue-wrestling with the _plus one_ to stop him from blowing things up?  
They would not understand.  
Perhaps, on some abstract level, Thor might. As might Natasha and possibly Clint. But he could not explain it, not even to them. Especially not to Thor. Maybe not even to himself…  
When the meeting turned towards battle analyses and everyone's attention was focused on Fury, he risked a glance at Loki. The god was leaning back comfortably, radiating pleased nonchalance. There was delight lurking in that slight smirk - but it was the eyes that made something cold run down Tony's spine. They looked sated, full of vicious satisfaction.  
He swallowed.  
There was someone at this table who understood. Understood it all.  
  
*  
  
The next day Loki came into the workshop as if nothing had happened. He sat down in front of the sensors and looked at Tony with expectant, innocent eyes.  
Tony floundered, he even stumbled over his words twice - the second time as an attempt to get some kind of reaction out of the god - but Loki just looked at him evenly. There might have been a slight twitch of a corner of the mouth. It might have been a trick of light. He was not going to look at the recordings later to confirm. He would not.  
  
They worked and chatted and discussed as they always did and Tony wondered for a while if the god had gotten hit on the head when exploding cars. Or maybe _he_ had. Or both of them. Or he had ended up in some strange alternate version of reality and in what circumstance might that be possible? Was it even… And his thoughts derailed to the point where Loki called him out on it.  
They ended the session with talking about the variability of time and space and an ancient tree which connected the realms of their solar system and when Loki bowed, just before he vanished, there was that slight crinkle around his eyes.  
  
He sat, stumped and confused. Had this been any other person he would suspect them to have suddenly turned shy. For them to be waiting for him to make a move because they got insecure. But this was Loki and it did not fit. It did not fit the way the god had moved about his workshop, with that slightly predatory air he always had. Like a wolf or a snake - all coiled and restrained elegance, ready to strike at any time. It also did not fit the glint in his eyes whenever he had caught Tony staring.  
No, this felt like another step in the god's ploy to drive him crazy. And if he were honest with himself, he would have to admit that it was working.  
With a sigh, he called up the blueprints of his current suit. There was that tiny drag in the left foot repulsor…  
  
He dreamt that night, not having worked up enough exhaustion to keep his mind calm or his sleep deep. He always tried to avoid the awareness of his dreams, had been doing so for years, keeping them at bay with alcohol or bringing himself to near collapse before going to sleep.  
But he dreamt that night and when he was lying drowsily in the morning, half-awake and mind hazy, he remembered. The smell of fire. The taste of iron. And the phantom sensation of claws drawing bloody lines down his back.  
  
  
*****  
  
  
Tony placed a paper cup of coffee in front of Pepper. He hoped it was the right one, he was 87% sure this was one of her favourites.  
  
"Are you alright?" She looked up and peered at him suspiciously.  
  
"Why wouldn't I be." He threw himself into the visitor's chair in front of her desk.  
  
Her brows knitted as she took a sip of her coffee. "It's 9:30, you're coming to my office for no known reason and you're bringing my favourite coffee…"  
  
Hah, he had gotten that right! "There're muffins, too." He placed the bag on her desk.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
He took a sip of his own coffee. It really was heavenly. He loved Pepper for the wonderful person she was and all she had done for him but even had that not been the case, she certainly had claimed his eternal devotion by introducing him to that particular coffeeshop.  
"Can't I bring my favourite CEO breakfast?"  
  
"Tony…" She sounded wary now. Worried. He took a deep breath.  
  
"How does one stop being attracted to someone?"  
  
"Why would you ask me of all people?" She raised an eyebrow at him.  
  
"I didn't mean… I wasn't implying…" He stopped, not sure how to explain. How to make her understand. He heard the crinkle of the paper bag and saw her breaking off a piece of muffin, chewing with a smile.  
  
"Who else should I ask? Clint? Natasha? Bruce?"  
  
"I'm amazed you're asking at all. It isn't like you to go to other people for relationship advice."  
  
"This has nothing to do with relationships." He heard her chuckle and gave her a glare.  
  
"It's about Loki then."  
  
"I didn't think it's that obvious." He really did not. He had been careful and his poker face was exceptional. He also knew the feeling when it was slipping. He had not felt it slip, not when anyone was around.  
  
"It isn't." It was said with a smile and he frowned. "But I know you very well and he's right up your alley."  
  
"I have an alley?"  
  
"Yes, you do. It's weird and crooked and filled with challenging, beautiful problems."  
  
Tony pondered for a moment. "You think he's beautiful?"  
  
Pepper gave him a look, then shook her head. "I had some time to think about it. After I saw the two of you dancing…"  
  
"That again!" He waved impatiently, glowering at her. "There was nothing going on back then."  
  
"But there is now?"  
  
"Not really," he grabbed a muffin and started chewing. Trying to give himself time to order his thoughts. Why did he think it was a good idea to come here? This was why he did not talk about stuff like this.  
  
"Do you want it to?"  
  
"What?" He blinked at her, momentarily thrown for a loop. Pepper was smiling.  
  
"Do you want something to be going on?"  
  
"Obviously not. That's the point of stopping to be attracted."  
  
She leaned back in her simple, first-rate office chair and took a sip of coffee, studying him serenely. It was hard not to squirm under her scrutinizing gaze. It always was.  
  
"Look," he sighed. "This is stupid. I know it is, okay? It's stupid and irresponsible and risky and I'm not doing that anymore."  
  
"But do you want to?"  
  
"Why do you keep asking that?" Frustration gave his voice an unintended hard and angry tinge. He winced and looked at her. Looked into her eyes that were soft and understanding.  
  
"That's the first thing you have to figure out. What is it you actually want? Is it just attraction? You always had your way of getting rid of that - still do."  
  
She was right, of course. Since they had broken up, he had brought more than one random stranger to some posh hotel. Having a good time.  
It had not nearly been as many as before though. And he never brought them home, he knew better than that. Knew what was out there and the lengths people were willing to go to… No, he was not that stupid anymore. He would not risk the safety of his creations, of his world - of himself - for a bit of fun.  
  
"Tony?" The voice was gentle. Sometimes he missed it. Not her, precisely, but for someone to speak to him like that. He sighed and shrugged.  
  
"So what are you suggesting? Fuck him and be done with it?" That earned him an unimpressed look. Coarse language had never helped in deterring her. Nor did it shock her, at all, many people had been disappointed to learn that.  
  
"I'm suggesting you're figuring out what you want. And when you know that, then you think about if what you want is doable."  
  
He stared at her. "Excuse me, but why does it sound like you think I should give this a try?" That was not what he had come here for. "Aren't you supposed to tell me I'm an idiot for falling for the wrong people?"  
He noticed the mistake too late and put on the deadpan. It was the only armour he had ever had against her knowing smile, even if it only succeeded in saving face.  
"Point is," he continued before she could say anything. "No matter what I might or might not want, it's too dangerous. I can't trust him."  
  
There was a nuance of sadness in the smile now. It made him clench his teeth, concentrating on the strain it put on his jaws.  
  
"Tony, who do you trust nowadays?"  
  
"You." He did not even have to think about that. "And Happy and Rhodey." That came a bit more hesitating and he felt anger rising against himself. He should trust them. He did trust them, they deserved it.  
  
Pepper sighed. "Exactly. But trust is something that can be earned. It should be earned. Maybe it would work for you. To be with someone you can't, shouldn't trust to start with. Someone who has to prove themselves. Let's be honest," she looked firmly at him, "it would be like that anyway. You don't trust people. Maybe it'd be the right thing for you, being with someone who understands why. And who knows you have solid reasons, a history, why you can’t trust them. Someone who knows why they'll have to earn it first."  
  
He stared at her, speechless for once. It… almost made sense. In some weird, abstract, philosophical way. But to apply that to his life was… Something inside of him was straining against the very thought, yelling at him that it was stupid. That you cannot let people inside your life that you can't trust. You won't.  
He shook his head and took a sip of lukewarm coffee.  
  
"I can't believe you're saying this. You're supposed to tell me it's too risky. Too dangerous."  
  
"Tony." Her voice was almost unbearably patient. "You always do things that are dangerous. You don't need a relationship for that. Ours wasn't dangerous. Actually, I tried my best to keep you save. It didn't work…"  
  
He looked up and saw only fondness. "Pep, I'm sorry…"  
  
"Don't be." She waved his concern away. "It's who you are. You'll always go looking for danger. The state of relationship you're in will have nothing to do with it. After all, you were single when you created something that almost destroyed the world."  
  
He cringed. "Thanks a lot for that." But he felt suddenly lighter, like he could breathe again. Trust Pepper to ease the mood with brutal truths. She chuckled and finished her muffin.  
  
"Can I ask you something? I want your honest opinion…" He looked at her earnestly, trying to bring across that he meant it, that it was serious.  
  
"Of course. I always tell you my honest opinion."  
  
"What do you really think about it. About me and…" He could not even say it. He had not even meant to consider it. It was crazy.  
  
"You and Loki?" Her gaze turned pensive, she seemed to ponder for a moment.  
"You're right, of course. At this point, we can't trust him. And he's dangerous. But so are you," she shrugged. "So are a lot of people - or can be. Depending on the situation."  
  
"Yeah, but most people aren't exactly on his level."  
  
"True." She shrugged again.  
  
"And still you’re telling me to give it a try. Why?"  
  
"Because I want you to be happy."  
  
It was a statement, the declaration of a fact, but it was said with a smile. Something inside of him made his chest constrict. He cleared his throat and looked at her, sitting there smiling and at ease and completely honest.  
  
"I love you, Pep. Always will. Hope you know that."  
  
"I know, Tony. I love you, too." She chuckled. "And I'm really glad that I'm with someone who knows what we mean when we're saying things like that.  
  
  
*****  
  
  
Tony Stark was happy.  
He found joy in his creations, in the challenge of keeping his business pushing forward and in the thrill of being Iron Man. He managed to keep the few people he cared most about close and found release in the arms of strangers when he felt like it. It was a good life.  
And still… Sometimes, there was the whisper of something. It felt like nostalgia.  
  
Before Pepper, this life would have been everything he had ever desired - but he had gotten a taste of something more. There had been something for a while that he had never expected he would want and sometimes, in the small hours of the night, he remembered.  
He remembered dinners at a restaurant and driving home together. He remembered coming back after a battle and sinking into a steaming bathtub with someone who understood. Who he could talk to, about all of it. Who he did not have to worry about giving anything away to because they had seen it with their own eyes, following every detail on a screen at his tower or her office… Sometimes they would just talk, then go to bed and sleep. Sometimes they would take it further, finding other ways to unwind. There were never any expectations, they would always let the mood guide them.  
He remembered being torn out of sleep in the middle of the night when the alarm rung and having someone holding him close for a second. Kissing him deeply despite the breath. Telling him to take care, to make it back. To let the world burn rather than not coming back… That it was not all on him, that he did not have to save them all on his own.  
  
Tony Stark was happy with his life, but sometimes he was a little nostalgic.  
  
  
*****  
  
  
An inventor walked into his kitchen to find a god and a secret agent. It could be the start of a joke, he just hoped it was not on him.  
He stopped dead, staring for a moment at Natasha and Loki who were sitting there in what seemed like a companionable discussion. Bruce was on the other side of the table, reading one of his journals - still paper, Tony noticed with a fond eyeroll. Thor was seated at the corner, bent in concentration over a pile of folders, business jacket neatly hugging the backrest of his chair. This was the strangest part of the scene, probably. That was what kingship would do to a roguish warrior…  
  
He wondered for a moment why they always congregated here, in the kitchen. The common floor provided a perfectly fine living area but something drew them to this room. Maybe it was because the coffee machine lived her. And in case of Clint and, surprisingly, Thor so did the moka pot.  
He strolled over to get his cup of liquid life. Alas, no Clint to be seen, so the self-brewed was Thor's again. He opted for his high-end machine which almost nothing could beat. Clint's coffee did and it was an ongoing quest of his life to figure out why. He had even analysed it but it seemed to contain nothing extraordinary for mocha. It must be some special powder the archer used. Or that he had perfected the steaming temperature. Or something else he had failed to find out. One day he would though and then he would be able to replicate it. It would make him rich. Richer. It might be his last and most lasting gift to mankind. Godkind even, considering the unabashed pleasure both Loki and Thor took in devouring the stuff.  
He glanced at the prince who had not shown any sign of taking notice of him whatsoever. They were talking about knives and daggers now, both of them a blade in their hand. The other two occupants of the table did not reveal the slightest hint of discomfort. When had it come to that, he pondered in amazement, for Loki to sit in their kitchen, waving around one of his daggers and nobody seemed bothered by it.  
He watched them, the mage and the assassin, as they handled their blades, discussing the craftmanship of the steel, the flawless fit of the hilt and the perfect balance. They made quite a pair, he thought. Sitting there all relaxed and sombre and deadly. So deadly. They would not even need the weapons in their hands.  
  
Something stirred inside of him, deep inside his chest. He saw them bending their heads towards each other and whatever it was, the _thing_ inside him, coiled.  
He straightened up and left the kitchen. Halfway through the living room he realized that hot coffee had sloshed over his hand. He had not felt a thing.  
  
*  
  
"So, you and Nat are being chummy lately." He watched the god, trying to decipher the relaxed posture that never gave away a thing. He had retreated into his workshop and Loki had shown up after a while, just in time for their session.  
  
The god raised an eyebrow but did not look at him, his focus fully on one of the displays. "If having a discussion about the advantages of different blades is being… chummy… then, by all means, I guess we are."  
  
The blue light of the screen cast an eery shine on those pale, even features. It made him look unreal, ethereal. Tony had never seen him in his frost form. Jotun, Loki had called it. He had asked the god if he could analyse that version of him and had received a quiet No. He had never asked again. There had been something in that simple word that he had not wanted to hear again. It struck home in a way he did not understand. He had analysed several other variations of Loki instead.  
But right now, like this, he could almost see it, see in real what he had only imagined so far. Not often, just now and then, wondering what a frost giant would look like. And he wanted to see it, wanted to rip off that damnable aloof mask and see what it was that Loki would not want to show him.  
This had always been supposed to be on _his_ terms. That had been the unspoken agreement. And Loki had kept to it, had he not? After bringing up that bloody proposition, he had not taken any further steps, had left it all to him. So why was he feeling like he was being played, like he was not in control at all. Damn the bastard. Damn him to hell.  
  
"You seem tense."  
  
Green eyes looked up, right at him. Through him. Why did it always feel like he was able to look straight through him. He felt his teeth clench and turned away, glancing at a display at random.  
"No clue what you're talking about."  
  
"Indeed."  
He could not stop the slight wince. The word was spoken right behind him.  
  
"I don't get how you can move that fast. And silent." He kept his eyes trained on the screen in front of him.  
  
"Maybe it was magic?"  
  
He waved a hand at the lines of data. So far it was still not possible to keep he god from teleporting but his sensors were able to pick up the use of magic at least.  
There was a slight chuckle, the rustle of fabric and creaking of leather.  
  
"In any case, the Widow is quite… interesting… is she not?"  
  
The voice was a husky drawl and his hand twitched. The Thing inside him stirred.  
  
"A deadly creature. Intelligent, highly trained, resourceful. Beautiful."  
  
He closed his eyes, the Thing hissed. "You called her a mewling quim," he pressed through clenched teeth.  
  
"And you questioned my masculinity. We do say silly things for effect, do we not?"  
  
He spun his chair around and glared at the god who stood close to him. Way too close. He could see the crinkles around the eyes, the amused tilt of the mouth and the relaxed posture. Was there any way to make him look not so goddamn detached?  
There might be one, a low voice whispered in his head. The Thing purred. He forced them both to shut up.  
  
Loki had tilted his head slightly and was watching him in silence. He realised that he was staring at the god, that they were looking at each other, not saying a word. It should be uncomfortable. He did not do silence very well. But somewhere along the way the tension had trickled off and he did not understand how or when or why. With a sigh he let his head sink against the backrest of his chair and closed his eyes.  
  
"Hmm…"  
  
It sounded pensive for once. Not the usual low hum that dug under his skin and vibrated in his bones. He cracked an eye open and looked at the mage. The jotun. The Prince of Asgard. Loki looked back at him calmly, pleased, with slight smirk on his lips.  
  
"Better?"  
  
Tony groaned and rubbed a hand over his eyes. "What are doing here. What the hell are we doing."  
  
"Research I believe was the idea?"  
  
He put as much vitriol as he could into the baleful glare he shot at the mage and got a chuckle for his effort.  
"Well, since we're about research, what's it with the fire?"  
  
Loki raised a questioning eyebrow.  
  
"There's a pattern to your magic. Whenever you give it some free reign, it seems to manifest in fire." He had been wondering about that for a while. It seemed incongruous, this affinity of a frost giant's magic for fire.  
  
"God of Fire." Loki shrugged.  
  
That made him frown. "I thought you were the God of Lies?"  
  
"God of Fire, God of Mischief, God of Lies. And God of Chaos." For a moment he grinned wildly, then shrugged once more. "In any case, most of us have more than one domain."  
  
Tony blinked. "I didn't know that. So Thor's more than the God of Thunder, too?"  
  
"Of course," Loki answered way to innocently and Tony felt it was his mouth now that was stretching into a grin.  
  
"Do tell."  
  
"Besides Thunder he is also a God of Fertility."  
  
Tony blinked then snorted. "You're kidding!"  
  
"It is nothing but the truth, I swear."  
  
"Oh please let this be true," he wheezed.  
  
"Just hand him some flower buds next spring and ask him to make them bloom, then watch his reaction." There was the shark grin again, showing way too much of gleaming teeth.  
  
"It sounds like there is a story to that?"  
  
"There is," Loki sunk into the chair beside him, stretching out. "When we were young, Thor's friends and I teased him horribly for it. He was always rather proud of his claim on thunder and victory in battle, trying to make everyone forget what he deemed an unworthy skill." Loki snickered. "Every spring I collected some flower buds and asked him to make them bloom for me. He refused of course, got more and more furious by the year, but ended up having to oblige me anyway."  
  
"How that?" Tony stared eagerly at the god.  
  
"Well, as a crestfallen little brother I was sadly unable to hide my great disappointment from our mother. Who would tell him to embrace all of his duties equally and to follow my request - with increasing sternness as the stubbornness of Thor grew year by year. He always followed her wish in the end."  
  
"You're such an asshole." Tony snorted.  
  
"Comes with being the God of Mischief, I supposed." Loki smirked, completely unapologetic.  
  
"In any case, we'll have to get a nice bunch of buds next spring."  
  
"If I am still here by then, then _we_ certainly have to."  
  
Tony blinked, all good humour drained out of him in an instance. He stared at the god who had summoned a tablet to himself and was reading in complacency, residues of amusement still lingering on his face.  
He swallowed and looked back at his own screen, trying to force himself to take in what was written there.  
He suddenly felt very cold.  
  
*  
  
It took three days for him to get hold of Thor. Getting hold of meaning the King of Asgard showing his face in the tower again.  
A few times he had been close to flying to the compound and catching Thor in his office. Thor. Having an office. It still amused him, which was why he call it an office and not Chamber of Audience, as was its official title. At least they had not installed a throne room. If there were any thrones in one of his buildings, they better be _his_.  
Thoughts derailed he stood in the door for a moment, contemplating the big blond who was sitting on his couch with a stack of papers by his side and a jug of beer on the table in front of him. Maybe he should warn him to not drink and sign paperwork? But nothing on Earth could really get the Asgardians drunk, he had come to learn. It was an affront.  
Still, Thor was there, alone, looking comfortable and approachable despite the rather posh clothes he was wearing. Sometimes his mind still boggled at that, how Loki and Thor could go from medieval battle gear to Asgardian leisure wear right up to human business attire and all within half a day.  
He stepped up to the couch, threw himself down and put his feet up on the little table. Thor was casting a sidelong glance at him before seemingly finishing one of the papers and putting it away.  
  
"How fare you, Anthony Stark?"  
  
"Oh, fine," Tony waved. "And you? All going well?"  
  
Thor nodded with a slight smile. "The proceedings advance. We have acquired a suitable plot and soon can begin the settlement."  
  
That fast. He blinked. "That's… good. Right?"  
  
"Of course it is." Thor's smile brightened. "I am glad to finally be able to give a proper home to my people. - Not that we are not ever so grateful for all you have done…" He hastened to clarify with a trace of guilt.  
  
"Don't worry." Tony patted his arm. "I'm glad it all works out for you." He sounded honest, didn't he? He hoped he did. He felt Thor's eyes on him. The Thunderer was much more perceptive than he used to give him credit for. He was not sure if it was a recent development or if he had underestimated him before.  
  
"Is there something the matter, friend Stark?"  
  
Tony smiled at that. Asgardians really had a way with names and titles. At least Thor called him Anthony now and then. The most he had gotten out of Loki was a random 'Stark'.  
He felt like tasting something sour and cleared his throat.  
  
"So, I was wondering…" His eyes were fixed on his feet. How to phrase it without making the Asgardian suspicious. Or curious.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I was just wondering. Loki's been a great asset lately. Even SHIELD has to admit that. And there's still a lot to be done with our research. I was wondering…"  
  
"If he will stay whenever he is freed of his stipulation?"  
  
"Yeah, kind of." He glanced at Thor who had reached for his jug. The king was fiddling with his drink, his brows slightly lowered in concentration.  
  
"To be honest, I am not sure. He is free to do as he pleases and go wherever he wishes. I no longer will try to hold him to something he does not want."  
  
There was a trace of bitterness and dejection Tony did not want to take too close a look at. Too close. It was too close.  
  
"He might go back to Sakaar." Thor said with something akin to distaste. Tony frowned.  
  
"You don't like the place?"  
  
"Not particularly. I cannot really see how the Grandmaster would welcome him favourably after all that has happened - but then again, one never knows." There was _definite_ distaste there now.  
  
"Care to elaborate?" Tony raised a curious eyebrow at the king who answered with a mirthless smile.  
  
"I would rather not."  
  
*  
  
"What’s a Grandmaster?" Tony asked, as he strode into the lab.  
  
Bruce looked up. "What?"  
  
"A Grandmaster? Of Sakaar. Or something like that? What, or who, is that?"  
  
"Their ruler, I guess you could say. If a place like Sakaar has one." Bruce leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes with a hand.  
  
"Sounds interesting."  
  
"Oh, you have no idea." Bruce gave him a dry look. One that even topped his usual dry looks. Tony raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Care to elaborate?" He said for a second time, hoping for more luck here.  
  
Bruce sighed and grimaced. "I haven't actually met him. The Hulk has, apparently he was a great favourite of his."  
  
"The Hulk liked the Grandmaster?" Tony asked, fascinated.  
  
"No. The other way around."  
  
"Oh." He had never actually met someone who would consider the Hulk a favourite of theirs. Sure, he himself was endlessly fascinated by the creature and held a certain fondness for him. It was hard not to what with having his life saved. Still.  
"Sounds like an… interesting…. person."  
  
"That’s one way to put it."  
  
"I thought you never met him?"  
  
"No, and don't need to. I have seen enough of him." Bruce shuddered.  
  
Tony raised an inquiring eyebrow.  
  
"No, really, I rather don't think about it. It's not important, anyway. Why are you even asking?"  
  
"Just curiosity." Tony shrugged. "Thor mentioned Loki might go back to Sakaar and wasn't sure how that Grandmaster would take it."  
  
"Not too well, I'd assume." Bruce said dryly. "He probably thinks Loki betrayed him. Though Loki could honestly say Thor escaped. He did taser him after and all."  
  
Tony stared. "There is a lot you haven't told me."  
  
"It's not really my story to tell." Bruce shrugged. "But I can't imagine Loki being welcomed back with open arms. On the other hand…" The scientist's face took on a musing expression. "Loki _did_ manage to get close enough once to gain access to his ships. And he can be quite convincing. He might be able to worm his way back in, if he really wants to."  
  
The Thing awoke. Tony swallowed. "Close enough?"  
  
Bruce grimaced. "I really don't know. From what I saw the Grandmaster's rather… liberal. But I really, really don't want to think about it."  
  
"No," Tony retorted as the Thing clawed at his chest. "Neither do I."  
  
*  
  
05:56 pm.  
Tony stared at the number. Four minutes till he should appear. Always exactly on the dot for their appointment the Asgardian… the Jotun… whatever the hell the bastard was would teleport into his workshop.  
  
With a fleeting thought he wondered when they had moved from the restricted research area to his actual workshop. It had snuck up on him, like so many things. Some of them tiny and subtle - some probably glaringly obvious had he just thought about them.  
Like the way he had started to actually look at a clock. The way he had to fight down tension, he would not call it nerves, as the minutes passed by. Tension that had nothing to do with being in a confined space with a former enemy. The way he had to stay his hand from reaching out those times when Loki appeared with a slight air of tautness, the residue of a trying day. He had to stay his hand from grasping the prince’s shoulder, digging in with his fingers in an attempt at comfort, sympathy, distraction…  
He tried not to think of the way Loki’s hair fell down his neck or the way the light of the sensors shifted on his throat, the only patch of bare skin he ever showed aside from his hands.  
He did not think of those elegant hands. Or the clever mouth…  
  
"Stark?"  
  
He spun around to stare at the tall figure standing in the middle of his workshop. Somehow it all came back, that first visit. How long had it been? A few weeks? Months? He had not meant to consider it, to even think about it. It had seemed crazy back then. It still was. He clenched his teeth, forced himself to relax in his chair, looked at Loki who was observing him with a searching expression on his face.  
Something constricted in his chest. He swallowed.  
  
"So… Sakaar?"  
  
He watched as Loki raised an eyebrow. It was the only reaction he got, he could not read the blank face of the god nor the casual stance. It was infuriating, he was good at reading people! He swallowed again, against the tightness in his throat. Everything felt too tight.  
  
"Thor said you might go back to Sakaar."  
  
Loki shrugged, a slight raise of one shoulder. "I might. It was a fascinating place with a lot of potential."  
  
"Potential." His voice sounded as sour as the word felt. The Thing stirred.  
  
Loki was looking at him evenly. "Indeed. It is a place with no rules, where only the clever and cunning rise to the top. A place of chaos." The shade of a smile played on his lips. "I am sure you can see the appeal of that."  
  
Tony swallowed. "Thor said you might not be welcomed back."  
  
"Hmm, there might be… troubles."  
  
Something flashed in the green eyes and he felt nails digging into his palms as his hands clenched. He did not want to see this. The subdued excitement, the lure of a challenge as Loki thought of that place.  
The Thing hissed.  
He turned back towards the screen, trying to will his mind to focus on the data in front of him, to ignore the weird buzz in his head and roar of blood in his ears. This was getting ridiculous.  
Behind him leather creaked and fabric rustled. He was supposed to hear that, was supposed to hear him move. Loki could be completely silent when he wanted. He glanced over his shoulder to see the god slowly stepping towards him. For a moment he noticed the glint in the eyes, then looked away. He was not sure what would be showing on his face.  
  
"Or do you have any other ideas on how to keep me from boredom?"  
  
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He knew _that_ voice, like silk and daggers down his back. His fists tensed.  
"How are you doing this?"  
  
There was nothing but silence behind him. He spun around and stood up, glaring at the god who was looking at him with that damnable composure.  
  
"How were you doing it?" His voice sounded rough as it was pressed through clenched teeth. "It isn't magic. I'd know if it was." He waved at the sensors.  
  
Loki tilted his head. There was a gleam in his eyes now and the slightest trace of a smirk lurking in the corners of his mouth.  
"You bastard," he hissed as he stalked up towards him. He felt uncoordinated, his movements too jerky, his skin too hot. The Thing rumbled in his chest.  
"You bastard," he hissed once again, as he stepped right into the other's space. His fingers grasped the lapels of a deceivingly soft coat.  
"Possibly," Loki murmured and he felt the words against his lips. "I have no way to know about my blood parents' true relation."  
"I don't give a fuck about your parents." His voice sounded breathless, a smile brushed against his cheek. The Thing purred in delight.  
"Your teleport?"  
"Hmmm?"  
He squeezed his eyes shut, pressed up against the lean, tall frame. His hands were in the soft hair. It felt just like he had imagined. He had hated that he had not been able to feel it last time.  
"You can teleport others?"  
"Of course." It was spoken right into his ear. He shuddered.  
"Know how to get to my bedroom?"  
Apparently Loki did.  
  
*  
  
When he woke up the next morning, he was alone in bed. His hand brushed over the still warm spot beside him and he smiled. He felt uncommonly loose and relaxed. As he stretched, some muscles popped and there was a slight crackle in his left shoulder. And the tinge of pain. His smile widened.  
He brushed his teeth and took a scalding hot shower, then wrapped himself in one of his luxurious bathrobes to hunt down some coffee.  
  
An interesting scene greeted him in the kitchen. There was Clint standing by the moka pot - glory be! - while Loki was sitting at the table, reading something on a starkpad. His eyes trailed down the back of the god's head and landed on the red dressing gown he was wearing. One of _his_ , in fact.  
He cleared his throat but the figure at the table did not stir, he did feel Clint's stare on him. When he looked at the agent he got a raised eyebrow and a deadpan expression.  
"Only you, Stark. I swear, only you."  
  
"I do hope so." He glanced at the table but there was still no reaction. The long hair was hiding Loki's face as he sat slightly bent and reading. He looked back at the archer who stared at him for another moment then rolled his eyes.  
  
"Any coffee left?" He asked hopefully.  
Clint place three cups beside the stove and filled them. He added milk to one of them - he always did that, it was a sin - and put a spoon of sugar into another. Then he stepped to the table and placed it beside the starkpad.  
"There you go, boss." He patted the shoulder of the reading figure and turned to leave the kitchen. As he passed Tony in the doorway, he gave him another long look before shaking his head and stepping out.  
  
Tony blinked. There were not many things that could render Tony Stark speechless anymore. Unsurprisingly and infuriatingly all of the recent ones had to do with Loki. He sleepwalked to where the last cup was still standing beside the pot and took a deep sip.  
Perfection! At least when not sullied by milk. Sugar was probably not half bad but nothing would beat pure black and bitter.  
  
"So, that was interesting." He leaned against the countertop and looked at the table. Loki turned his head towards him and he gaped. There might even have been a mouth hanging open. Around Loki's right eye a bruise was forming all prettily in blue and purple.  
He cleared his throat.  
  
"You thought it was a good idea to tell him? Of all people?"  
  
"Oh, there was not much telling involved. Usually a specific assumption is made when someone is coming out of another's bedroom in the morning. Especially when dressed in the robe of the owner of the room. Quite the right assumption, in our case." Loki's grin was all smug satisfaction. Tony gave him a half-hearted glare.  
  
"And you couldn't have teleported or something?"  
  
"That would rather have ruined the effect I was going for."  
  
He could not quite keep the amusement from showing on his face, he was sure. It must be amusement, that pleased feeling that made the Thing preen. It could not be anything else. Not yet.  
"And it got you a lovely accessory, too."  
  
"Oh, that," Loki waved at his face with indifference. "That will be gone in a few days."  
  
"Days?" Tony stared incredulously. His eyes fell on the other's neck, followed it down to where it met the shoulder. He had drawn blood there last night. He had not exactly held back, had not needed to. As he stared at the immaculate white skin he wondered if there were any traces left on the other's back. Probably not. He wished there were, wanted them there. Slight reminders, little twinges of pain. He wanted the god to feel them when he moved, just as he did.  
  
"Yes, days."  
He looked up into sombre eyes.  
"Like I said, there are some amusing similarities between your people and mine. The worth of symbols is one of them." Loki took a sip of coffee. "I will keep the appearance up for a while, it will please the Hawk." His lips stretched into a grin. "Interestingly enough, he did not do this for himself. It was for what I said to the Widow when in your glass cage."  
  
"Told you 'mewling quim' isn't the way to go about things."  
  
Loki snorted but there was a certain softness around his eyes that made Tony having to suppress an embarrassing smile.  
  
"I'm still not sure it was a good idea to tell him first."  
  
"I knew he would understand." Loki shrugged. "Of all the people in this tower, he is the one who knows me best. Save for my brother, of course."  
  
The Thing twitched, snarled. Tony swallowed down bitter coffee. "Is that so."  
  
Loki was watching him now. Looking at him, right through him, as he so often did. He rose in a fluid movement and stepped up towards him, crowding in on him.  
  
"This is a most delicious expression on you, do you know?" He muttered and Tony glowered at him.  
  
"You're such an asshole."  
  
"So you have said." Loki's grin was impossibly wide and he tried to put some extra heat into his glare. The god tipped his head slightly and his lips settled into a small smirk.  
"You do not have to worry…"  
  
"I don't worry. I don't do worry." He had not meant to sound that heated.  
  
"… Agent Barton and I shared a mind for a while. That leaves a bond not easily broken." His eyes suddenly took on a solemn expression. "We have, however, not shared anything else. Nor does either of us want to."  
  
"Nice to know," Tony grumbled, looking away from the piercing gaze. He felt long, strong fingers griping his chin and turning his face. There was something insistent lurking in the green eyes.  
  
"Not all bonds are forged by force. Some grow through wish and will and intention."  
  
Tony swallowed, his fingers tangling in soft strands of hair.  
  
"I have a proposition for you, Anthony Stark." Loki said.  
And Tony answered, "Yes".  
  
The god drew back a bit, studying him. "Yes to the proposition or yes you have considered?"  
  
Tony smiled. "Yes to both." And he leaned in to kiss him.  
  
  
-*-  
  
_  
So hold up the fire  
Say it out loud  
For someone to hear you  
Out of the crowd  
(Pegasus - Metropolitans)  
_  
  
-*-  


**Author's Note:**

> Playlist:
> 
> Muse – Hysteria  
> Nightwish - Ever Dream  
> Pegasus - Metropolitans  
> Leo Moracchioli's metal cover of Dance Monkey by Tones and I  
> Savage Garden - Break Me Shake Me  
> Nico Santos - Play with Fire  
> 


End file.
